Rosie 2: Heartland
by Jessie Rose 911
Summary: its summer and things are really starting to heat up for Rosa and Tim, but when a woman that went to Rosa's high school turns up dead, can she face her past?
1. Blast From the Past

**This is the sequel to ****Rosie.**** Remember the NCIS episode Heartland? Oh, yeah…**

Petty Officer Dakota Whitley ran as fast as she could down the main street of Deer River, Iowa. She stuffed her class ring in her pocket as she went. She was not deluding herself, she knew she was going to die tonight, but maybe they would catch her killer if they knew where she had been killed. He had told her with sick glee that he was going to move her body far away and that he would never be caught. She had spit in his eye and wriggled away, taking off down the deserted street. She now leapt and scrambled over a small memorial wall into a tiny, concrete courtyard and skidded to a stop. He was waiting.

(Scene Change)

Probationary Agent Rosalind White let her head hang to the side, giving her boyfriend better access to her neck. She moaned appreciatively, and he smiled against her throat. Agent Timothy McGee stood up reluctantly and gave her a hand up as well. They would be late for work if they kept this up. Tim had been careful not to give Rosa a hicky, so they strolled out of the alley beside their favorite coffee shop without much worry. They were stopped, however, by the sight of Tim's friend and Rosa's surrogate brother, Agent Anthony "Tony" Dinozzo. Tony just shook his head at their guilty faces.

"If Gibbs catches you…" They all winced at Tony's warning, then looked around to make sure their boss, Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, didn't come out of the woodwork like he was prone to do.

The three of them walked across the street to NCIS headquarters, meeting with Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David along the way. As they all piled into the elevator, Tony turned to Tim and said in a rather evil voice, "I now find myself obligated to give you the 'Big Brother Talk', Probie." Tim groaned.

Gibbs waited for his team impatiently, pacing the bullpen. They were not technically late, _yet_, but, goddamnit, they had a case! The elevator dinged and he watched as his entire team tumbled out of the small cube. Tim was staying as far away from Tony as he could manage, and Rosa was restraining Tony from seemingly attacking Tim. Ziva offered no explanation, and only watched on in amusement. "Grab your gear; we got a dead Petty Officer in Quantico!" Gibbs hollered at them as they dumped unnecessary items at their desks, did an about face, and headed toward the elevator again. He joined them in the elevator this time.

"So anyone want to tell me why Dinozzo wants to kill McGee now?" he asked, very blasé about it. You could've heard a pin drop. "So Dinozzo finally found out about Rosa and McGee, hmm?" There was spluttering and shocked faces all around.

When they piled into the NCIS truck, Gibbs noticed they were all still staring at him, Rosa and Tim very nervously. "What? I saw you kissing at the Ostara party. And rule twelve was made to be broken," he said, referring to a Christian Wiccan celebration Rosa had held three months ago and one of his rules stating, "Never date a co-worker." There was a great sigh of relief.

They arrived at a nondescript street on the naval base, and were directed down an alley by local LEO's. They ducked under the yellow tape as Gibbs issued orders. "Dinozzo, witnesses. McGee, perimeter. Ziva, Rosa, with me."

Rosa, Ziva, and Gibbs came upon a rather grizzly sight. A young woman, about Rosa's age, seemed to have been raped and then had her throat cut viciously. Ziva winced in sympathy and got to work. Rosa simply stared. In her three months with NCIS she had seen a few nasty things, and this was no different. But something about the victim bothered her. The brown hair, the small face, the slightly upturned nose… "Gibbs." Something in her voice made him look up at her. She had gone pale. "What's her name?" Her voice was harsh and grating, but quiet.

"Petty Officer Dakota Whitley. Why? You know her?"

"We went to high school together."


	2. Steam

Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard wasn't known to be a patient man, but he wasn't impatient either. His hard-won patience was in short supply when he arrived, however. Palmer seemed to have taken a wrong turn. Again. So when he saw Gibbs hunched very, very close to the body, he was quite short with him. "Gibbs, don't touch!"

"Not touching, Duck, looking," was his reply. Ducky snorted in a rude sort of way. "Palmer miss a turn again?"

"Yes." Ducky growled.

"Autopsy Gremlin!" Only now did Ducky notice that Rosa was several feet away, arms wrapped around herself. This was strange, as she usually threw herself into the middle of everything. Her eyes were tell-tale storm clouds; she was upset. She had picked up on Tony's nickname for Palmer, and found it funny, but only ever used it herself when she was ticked at him.

One too many threats of hexed medical tools and jinxed desk chairs had made Jimmy just as wary of her as he was of Gibbs, and he was quick to pacify her. "Yes, Agent White?" He just barely stopped himself from saluting.

"I think we would all very much appreciate it if you did not regularly get lost on the way to crime scenes," she said, voice low, soft, articulate, and very dangerous. Palmer gulped.

"W w won't h h happen again," he stuttered. She only glared.

"What is going on? Rosalind, what is the matter?" She remained mute to the M.E.'s question, and stared blank-faced at the body.

When Ducky turned to Gibbs, the team leader supplied a short explanation. "Old high school buddy of hers." Ducky breathed a silent "Oh…" and got to work.

"I won't be able to tell if she was… violated… till we get her home, but I think she was killed by a serrated blade to the throat. She's been dead about a week, I imagine."

"This isn't the primary crime scene," Rosa abruptly spoke up, "There's no blood on the ground at all." Gibbs nodded. He appreciated that she could still function enough to process a crime scene, at least with her eyes, while she was upset.

"Hey, Rosie-posy, why you all upset?" Dinozzo came bounding up, relieved at getting away from a hysterical neighbor, then concerned when he saw Rosa's ashen face.

"Dinozzo! What'd the witnesses say?" Gibbs snapped.

"Only that she wasn't here yesterday and no one knows her."

"Rosa," Ducky called as he pulled something out of the victim's pocket, "do you recognize this?" He had brought a gold ring with a ruby imbedded in it to the fore. She stepped gingerly closer and nodded.

"It's Dakota's class ring. I always thought she had horrible taste…" Rosa took a shuddering breath, shook herself, and brought herself to her full height. Her right hand was fidgeting, Ziva noticed, with a class ring on her third finger. It was silver, with a sapphire in the middle, and was much thinner and more streamlined than the dead woman's ring. These two rings were from the same school?  
(Scene Change)

After they all got back to HQ, there was not much to go on, only that Dakota had gone missing a week ago from her parents' home in Deer River. A reproving glare in her direction from Gibbs sealed the deal and stopped her stalling. The Team was headed to Rosa's home town. _Damn, _she thought, sulking.

Tony was very excited about going to her hometown, being his nosy self. Tim and Ziva had mixed feelings. They were curious, but if it brought back such painful memories for Rosa, maybe the past should stay buried. Gibbs could sympathize with her, but the case had to be solved.

"Go home and pack. We're hopping the plane to Omaha tomorrow at six, be there at four." Gibbs barked orders.

"AM?" Tony was scandalized.

"Yeah, AM, Dinozzo. Go home. That means you too, White, we'll need a guide when we get there."

She made brief eye-contact with Tim. Her face told him all he needed to know. She wasn't surprised when he showed up at her apartment later that night.

(Scene Change)

Rosa wondered quietly through her tiny apartment. She had moved out of Ducky's as soon as possible, embarrassed that she wasn't living on her own at her age.

It _was_ tiny, only three closet sized rooms: a main room with a kitchen nook, a bathroom, and a bedroom. It was very sparsely decorated, very bare. It really wasn't that bad, only three months ago all of her possessions could fit in a duffle. Both Wiccan and Christian motifs were scattered around, but very few picture frames appeared. Most were from the past three months, provided by Abby. The only one not of Team Gibbs was a small, wallet sized picture of four people.

A middle aged man with swarthy, dark skin, reddish dark brown hair, a full beard and mustache, and piercing hazel eyes stood in the back beside a slightly dumpy woman with fair skin, ash blond hair, and grey eyes. In front stood a boy dressed entirely in hunting gear. He was slightly heavyset, and a wide smile and sparkling hazel eyes lit up his round face. Wavy, blond hair was in complete disarray. Beside the boy stood an older girl of about sixteen. She was short, curvy, fair skinned, blond, and hazel eyed. A younger Rosa White.

McGee came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. After placing a kiss on her ear, he whispered, "That them?"

Rosa sighed and placed the photo back on the shelf. She leaned back into her lover's embrace. "Yeah, that's them."

"You packed?"

"Yep. You?"

"Yeah." McGee nuzzled her cheek. "I got your back, Rosalind."

"I know," she murmured. She leaned back and captured his lips in a gentle kiss. The kisses started out chaste, but when she turned in his arms and he deepened the kiss, they started getting _very _passionate.

Her windows actually fogged up that hot summer night.

**Short-ish chapter, sorry! Reviews? Please with sugar on top?**


	3. Deer River

**Sorry I haven't updated in forever! School is pulling me down. Please press the magic review button at the bottom of the page. It will make me very happy.**

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Rosa's attire when she showed up at the airport. Well-worn running shoes, light khaki pants that hugged her butt and flared around her legs, and a light purple halter-top completed her ensemble. It showed off the tattoos she had gotten in the past months: barbed wire with a wild rose woven through it circled her bicep and great horned owl wings on her shoulder blades. That along with her badge and gun, she looked bad-ass. A form of rebellion against going to Deer River, Gibbs supposed. He didn't comment.

The team made their way quickly through customs, flashing their badges. Security had a hard time believing Rosa was a Federal Agent, and Gibbs had to vouch for her.

"Will it be that warm out there in the boonies?" Tony asked, referring to her minimal clothing.

"Yep." She wasn't talkative today.

They boarded the plane. They all chose seats as near as possible to each other, but Tony still ended up next an unfortunately fat man that seemed to sweat an awful lot. Rosa sat between Tim, who had the window seat, and Gibbs who had the isle. They took off. Rosa smiled slightly, memories of trips with her family swimming to the surface. Then she shivered. Tim shrugged off his light NCIS jacket and draped it around her shoulders. They smiled at each other, remembering when they first met and he had given her the shirt off his back and draped it around her shoulders in much the same manner. A soft laugh turned their attention to Gibbs, who ruffled Rosa's ponytail affectionately.

A small eternity later Tim was asleep, using Rosa's shoulder as a pillow and Rosa was clutching Gibbs's hand. As they touched down, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Time to roll.

They marched out into the smallish airport, and people stared. Even though Omaha was a somewhat large city, it was still the Midwest. Federal Agents just don't trapeze through that airport on a regular basis. Rosa led the way through the halls with ease, obviously having been here before. She let the others arrange the rental vehicle, and eventually she sat in the driver's seat of a huge black SUV.

"Why is Rosie, " Rosa glared moodily at him. "I mean Rosa, driving?" Tony was rather panicked.

"'Cause I think I know how to get to my home town from here, Tony." Her tone was chilly.

"Oh," he breathed. He actually had experienced the misfortune of a hexed desk chair, and knew not to cross her in her present mood.

Hours passed. The time passed in a monotonous blur of corn fields and badly kept highway. The boredom was broken when Rosa abruptly slowed down and turned on to a seemingly unused gravel road. "Uh, Rosa?" Tim began.

"Hmm?" she grunted.

"The GPS-"

"To hell with the GPS. I know where I'm going, Luv." Her first statement was harsh, but then she seemed repentant and affectionate in the last sentence.

Tony snickered at Tim's new nickname. Tim scowled at him. Gibbs scowled at them both. They bumped and trundled down the muddy back roads, once again with nothing but cornfields and the occasional abandoned farmstead on either side.

They had made many baffling turns for no apparent reason that the older agents could see, and eventually Rosa made like she was going to turn, but then shook her head and kept 'til she hit a blacktop road. Gibbs looked at her sideways. "You know I hate it when you look at me like that," She growled. He kept looking. "I was on autopilot," was all the explanation he got.

"You want me to drive?" he offered.

"No, I got this," she murmured. She stopped talking for the last leg of the journey. Her jaw was clenched, her big eyes became glassy, and her knuckles turned icy white she was gripping the steering wheel so tight. Tension rose in the vehicle. Tony tried to open his mouth at one point, but Ziva smacked him quite hard and shut him up.

They came upon a tiny town, maybe a little bigger than Stillwater, though not by more than a hundred people. They drove by school building proclaiming "DEER RIVER COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL", the same name on both Rosa's and Dakota's class rings. They drove by fairgrounds, which were jam-packed with people. "Great, strangers are in town anyways…" Rosa grumbled. They made it to Main Street, which was about three blocks long, with tall, skinny buildings on each side. Natives stalked restlessly up and down the sidewalks, elders parked and talking in front of the feed store and teens hung around Rachel's Pizza Shoppe glared at unrecognizable vehicles. Namely the agent's rental. There was an old muddy police cruiser parked in front of the legion hall, and Rosa, pulled up next to it.

When the agents piled out, all of them (except Rosa) were nearly knocked over by the heat. It wasn't a dry heat either. Tony was sweating a river after two minutes in the Iowa humidity. Two policemen pulled themselves heavily from the cruiser, one young and one middle aged. Rosa's eyebrows rose at the sight of the younger.

"Well, if it isn't Rosa White!" the young man said scathingly.

"Someone pinch me, it's Will Pennington in uniform! They let you become a cop with your record?" Rosa retorted. Pennington flushed and his companion cleared his throat.

"Special Agent Gibbs?" Gibbs stepped forward and shook his hand, "Ah, hello. I'm Officer Darwin and this is Officer Pennington. We're s'posed ta show ya'll around."

Rosa wandered away as the two men talked. She strolled over to a memorial wall that had been between the legion hall and the bank ever since she could remember. Remembering a time when she and her buddies had scaled the wall, she smiled wistfully. Glancing at Pennington, who was absorbed in his superior's conversation, she took a running leap at the wall. Planting a firm foot on the brick and her hands on the top, she hoisted herself to sit on top of it. She stared.

"Gibbs!" Her urgent voice drew his attention. Both the local officers spluttered and protested when they saw her perch. "Stop yer yappin', Will. You sat up here with me in the middle of the night havin' a smoke sophomore year. Gibbs, c'mere, ya gotta see this."

With the grace and ease of a marine, Gibbs was sitting by her side within milliseconds. His eyes got big for a moment, before he hollered at Darwin. "Ya got the keys to the legion? Looks like we found the crime scene."


	4. Ryan

The little concrete courtyard boasted a pool of dried, brown-red blood. As the team cracked down and did their job, Will Pennington stared Rosa. She had been such a goody-two-shoes in school, besides the late nights she sat socializing on The Wall. It was hard to believe this aloof, tattooed, federal agent was the meek and mild girl from his youth. It was hot.

He strolled to her side when she stood to catch a breather and flick a lock of wild hair from her face. "So… You staying in town for the Midnight Fair Concert?"

"Not if I can swing it. Why?" She looked at him warily. What was he doing? He really hadn't changed from almost four years ago.

"Well, if you were, would you go with me?"

She threw her head back and laughed derisively. "W-w-With you?" She nearly doubled over. She had never looked at Will that way, especially back in school. "If I go with anybody, it'll be with my boyfriend, bud!" Still chuckling, she went back to work. Tim, who had heard everything, smirked to himself.

When they were done Gibbs pulled out his cell phone. "Hey, Duck, you got a TOD for us?" Rosa's eyes flashed grey-green and her hearing sharpened to an inhuman level.

Ducky's voice crackled over the little speaker in the phone. "I can confidently say Petty Officer Whitley died four days ago. Preliminaries confirm she bled out – that slit throat to blame. Did you find the primary crime scene?"

"Rosa found it. She pissed off one local LEO and then turned down a date from another in the process."

"That's our Rosalind. How's she doing?"

"So far? Better than expected. Just a matter of time though…"

"Hm. Keep me posted, Jethro"

"Will do, Ducky." Gibbs snapped the phone shut and looked up right into Rosa's unamused gaze. He raised his eyebrow. She raised hers back. The standoff was interrupted by Tony.

"Should we go talk to the 'neighbors', boss?"

"You and McGee stay here and wrap things up. Me, Rosa, and Ziva are gonna go talk to the friendly folks of Deer River," replied Gibbs, still looking at Rosa contemplatively. She nodded, sighed, and handed the evidence she collected to her boyfriend, before leaving Tim with a quick kiss and following the boss.

After they had left, Will sidled up to Tim and looked sideways at him. Tim raised his eyebrows. Will cleared his throat and asked, "Rosa your girl?"

Tim grinned and said, "Nah. She's the love of my life." Will seemed to deflate; there went his chances.

(Scene Change)

The street had seemed to clear of any and all people since they had entered the legion. Rosa shook her head. When cops show up, time to hide. The town motto hadn't seemed to change in the… Well, damn, it had been almost four years now since she had left. She was gonna be twenty-one in a few days, and a month from now would be the anniversary of her leaving. "Hm," she murmured as she headed next door to a flower shop called Garden's and Fairies.

It was a cramped space, chock full of fake flowers and garden ornaments. "Hello!" called a dumpy little woman behind the counter. "What can I do for you?"

As Gibbs and Ziva conducted the interview, all three agents noticed that the woman, identified as Mary Andrews, kept shooting wary glances at Rosa, or more specifically the pentacle around her neck.

"I didn't hear anything; I was at home, see. But my son might've. He lives above the shop. He's working at the grocery right now I believe," she was saying.

"Fuzzy? He's still around?" Rosa spoke up.

"Yeeesss, but people just call him Mark now-a-days." She drew out the first word in suspicion. She evidently didn't like Rosa at all.

"Thank ya, Mrs. Andrews. Have a good day," Rosa almost sang out. She sounded almost like a child, and her gentle smile reinforced the image.

"Yer welcome, Rosa. You too," Mrs. Andrews sounded a little relieved to have them out of her store.

Next was the grocery, but on their way they encountered a group of shirtless, high school boys. They formed a thick wall between them and their destination. "What are Fed's doin' here?" one boy demanded. He wasn't very tall, but he was muscular. A hail storm of "Yeah"s and "What ya doin' here?"s and even a "Go back where ya came from!" assaulted their ears. Rosa sneered and opened her mouth to say something scathing when there was a small commotion at the back of the group.

A very tall, very broad shouldered boy shoved his way to the front. The short boy who had spoken first glared threateningly at him. The tall boy sneered back in a way that was oddly familiar to Ziva and Gibbs. The short boy instantly backed down. The new leader turned to regard the agents intently. They returned the scrutiny. The boy was roughly six feet, maybe a little more, and muscular with the slightest bit of flab at the waist – he liked his country cookin', what can I say? His face was round, but handsome, with intense hazel eyes and deeply tanned skin. His hair was a little wild, wavy, blond and shaggy. Three charms hung from a tarnished silver chain around his neck: an old pewter ring, a delicately designed cross, and a plain silver star.

In one synchronized movement, both Rosa and the boy crossed their arms, right over left. After a short, tension charged staring match the boy grinned shyly at her. "Howdy, Sis," he said in a low, growly voice.

"Hey there, Lil' Bro," she answered in a voice not near as deep but almost as gravely. "Lil' Bro's" grin got wider, and he opened his arms tentatively. Rosa gave a short chuckle and opened her own arms wide in invitation. She squeaked then laughed when he scooped her up and twirled her around as though she weighed nothing.

When he set her down, he kept a firm arm around her, and then glared dangerously at his comrades. "You leave my sister and her friends alone, ya hear?" he growled at them. There was a series of "Got it!"s and "Sure thing!"s from them as the group dispersed.

The siblings turned and Gibbs gave them a "Well, introduce yourself already!" sort of look. "Ah, Boss, Ziva, this is my kid brother Ryan. Ryan, this is my coworker and friend Officer Ziva David and my boss Agent Gibbs." Handshakes and greetings were exchanged.

"What ya doin' here, Rosa?" Ryan asked as they meandered toward the grocery store.

"I'm workin' for NCIS, kiddo. Case came up," she said simply.

Ryan winced at being called kiddo, then a look of anger crossed his face. He gave her a parting squeeze before hollering, "You leave my truck alone, Mendez!" He took off after a mischievous looking Hispanic around his age that had, up until now, been tinkering under the hood of an old junker pick up. Mendez gave a little whoop, dropped his wrench, and took off running.

As they continued their journey, Ziva asked Rosa, "How did you know he would receive you well?" Gibbs looked over, very interested in the answer.

Rosa grinned. "He was wearing my old necklace."


	5. Samuel

**A very special shout out to CaptainJoJo who, with a single PM, brought me out of my writing funk. This one's for you!**

As they entered the grocery, they were met with wary stares and whispered words. Being the center of attention was uncomfortable, but Rosa took the lead so her companions went largely unnoticed. Gibbs and Ziva were thankful. Many a gossip pointed and muttered at her. "Didn't she leave?" "Didn't she break her family's hearts?" "What in the world was she doing back?" "I heard there was an epic fight before she left!" "She cursed her family." "The crops don't grow like they should." "Her mother turned into a recluse." "Her father never smiles." "Her brother is a quiet boy – maybe she has something to do with it…"

She tilted her chin up, more to avoid eye-contact than to stick her nose in the air, and sought out the elusive Fuzzy. He was a short, tan, muscular man, with wirery black locks that fell in his face in a devilishly handsome way. He smiled when he saw Rosa coming. The smile belonged in a toothpaste commercial. "Rosa! You're back in town! How are you doing, Darling?" He had a loud voice, and Gibbs thought he might be Italian.

"I'm doing fine, Fuzz. Please don't call me that anymore; we ended a long time ago. I'm here for work."

"Ah. What do mean work? Last I knew you were an artist in Chicago."

"I'm a Fed. We're investigating Dakota's disappearance." Fuzzy paled, but he plastered his charming smile on his face.

"Oh," was all he managed. Rosa introduced Gibbs and Ziva and they conducted the interview. He didn't seem to know anything, as he claimed to be on a camping trip and had only gotten back the day before. Gibbs and Rosa traded looks. He was lying. However, they couldn't prove anything at the moment, so they let it be.

Rosa was VERY relieved to leave the grocery. The accusing stares had not let up during the whole time they had been in there. Her brother rejoined them as they walked toward the drug store; he was soaking wet for some unknown reason. She raised her eyebrow at him. He smirked, pleased with himself. She shook her head: trust her brother to go jump in the river.

The drug store's air conditioner was cranked to the max, sending goose bumps up their arms. Ryan's teeth started chattering. "Meetcha outside," he muttered, and left them alone again.

"Hello?" Rosa called to the person in a white lab coat behind the pharmaceutical counter. It was a tall woman with dark hair with her back to them.

"Hm?" the pharmacist turned, and then her face lit up. "Rosa!"

"Kitty! How are you?" The woman identified as Kitty rushed around the counter and the ladies hugged.

"I'm fine! How are you? Last I knew you ran off to Chicago! You're not in trouble or anything?" The six foot something pharmacist looked concernedly down at her short friend.

"No! I'm not in trouble. I'm good. I live in D.C. now-a-days. I work for NCIS. Say, you can't be done with school already, can you? I thought it took eight years to be a pharmacist?"

"It does. I'm just helping out Dan and Martha as a summer job. They don't care that I won't graduate for another five years!"

Gibbs cleared his throat and the women looked at him embarrassedly. Rosa cleared her throat and introduced her old friend. "Gibbs, Ziva, this is Kitty Carter. She's an old friend of mine. Come to think of it, she was friends with Dakota for a while-"

"You mean I tolerated her presence."

"Yeah, that too. Kitty, this is my boss, Agent Gibbs, and my co-worker and friend, Officer Ziva David." Hands were shaken.

"What do you know about Dakota Whitley?" Gibbs asked, getting right to the point.

"Not much. Like I said, I mostly just tolerated her. She was a bit stuck up. No one wanted to kill her… that _I _know of."

Just then Ryan came running into the store with a panicked look on his face. "Rosa!" pant, pant, "Dad-!"

The door chimes sounded, interrupting Ryan's hurried speech. In stepped a middle-aged man, maybe Gibbs's age. His hair was dark, with a generous amount of grey at the temples, and his skin was deeply tanned and weathered by the sun. He wore jeans, an old sweat-soaked t-shirt, and cattle feed covered work boots. He was a little shorter than Gibbs, and he had a very solemn face. His most striking feature, however, were his piercing hazel eyes, which looked a little stormy at that moment? Like Gibbs, he gave off an aura of authority.

"Rosa?" The man asked, looking hesitantly at the woman in question.

"What do ya want, Samuel?" She asked gruffly. Gibbs and Ziva edged closer to her to show support.

Samuel winced, like her calling him by his name was an insult. Which, in this case, it was; one he understood all too well. He sighed. "Yer gramma will want to have dinner with the whole family tonight once she hears you're in town. Yer free to bring your… friends." One last long look at Rosa, in which she did not move at all, and he left with grieved face.

"Rosa, who-?" Ziva did not even get the chance to finish her sentence before Rosa answered.

"My father."


	6. Homecoming

**Ok, since this story and my other current NCIS story are the ones that get the most response, all my other stories are for fun and it's safer to assume they are abandoned. So if, when reviewing this chapter, you get the urge to ask me when I'm updating those other ones, don't. Please and thank you. As always, I apologize for the obscenely long wait. Enjoy!**

Tony and Tim knew something was wrong when they saw Rosa quick-stepping it towards them with Gibbs, Ziva, and an unfamiliar teen in hot pursuit. Tim tossed the last evidence bag at Tony, who put it in the back of the vehicle. They took off towards the stony faced Wiccan, but stopped short when the teen stepped in front of them with his arms crossed. He wasn't all that imposing, but he was as tall as Tim and as broad-shouldered as Tony – at least. Plus, the scowl on his face was very reminiscent of Rosa's when she was ready to hurt somebody.

"Ryan," Rosa growled. Ryan sneered as menacingly as a high school student could at the two agents before he retreated behind Rosa. "Tony, Tim, this is my kid brother Ryan. Ryan, this is Tony, my surrogate older brother; and Tim, my boyfriend." If possible, Ryan's glare strengthened. Tim was fine; Ryan could tell he was suitably wary of him. This Tony guy however, was not only cocky, but he had usurped his position as Rosa's brother.

With no warning, Rosa smacked her fist on the door of the SUV. The resulting bang made all present jump. "Damn-it, Gibbs, what the hell am I s'posed to do?"

"What's going on?" Tony intercepted, completely bewildered.

"About your family inviting us to dinner, or the fact that there's a killer in your hometown?" Gibbs asked, ignoring Tony.

"I know what to do about the second one. I'll do my damn job, that's what," Rosa growled.

"Wait, we're invited to dinner?" Tony was determined to interrupt, his mind forever on his stomach or his… dick.

"Shut up!" Ziva hissed at him as both Rosa and Gibbs turned to glare menacingly at him. For once, he listened.

Gibbs turned back to Rosa and continued their conversation, once again deciding he would deal with Tony later. "That's your decision. We've got your back."

Tim came up beside his distraught girlfriend and gave her a sideways hug. She dropped her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony moved away and discussed the plan on the crime front. "What do you think, Luv?" Rosa asked.

"I'm game for anything."

"That doesn't help me make my decision." She gave him a soft glare.

"I know." He sighed. "I'd say 'go for it'. If nothing else you can finally have some closure… And I can give them a piece of my mind."

She heaved yet another sigh and nodded. His reasoning was sound.

Six thirty that evening, the SUV the MCRT was renting trundled to a stop outside and old, well-kept farm house a good ten miles out of town. It was white, with classic structure (two stories plus attic and basement) and a large, spacious deck. For farmers, the entire White clan was well off.

The team stepped out of the vehicle, only slightly worse for wear after Rosa's anxiety fueled driving. As Rosa finally had the nerve to step out, a great yell went up from inside the house.

"ROSIE'S HOME!" Six children ages nine to sixteen poured out of the old house and swamped her. Relieved and joyful laughter rang in the team's ears as they smiled fondly at their youngest member. Soon adults followed the children. Aunts and Uncles happily embraced the young woman, full-heartedly welcoming her back into the fold. Hugs, kisses, and loud, happy chatter erupted in typical White family style. Ziva, Tony, and even Tim went a little wide-eyed at all the physical contact and loud talking. Gibbs just smirked in a friendly way. This was the way of small-town families, and having grown up in one, he was not surprised at all.

Then there was a sudden hush. Down the stairs came two elderly people. The man was not tall, and used a cane. He was completely bald, with stubborn white stubble on his face. His eyes were a sharp, icy blue, paler than even Gibbs's. The woman was much more approachable. She leaned heavily on the stair railing while descending the stairs, but didn't use a cane. Her chestnut brown hair was liberally streaked with grey and cropped short as older ladies tend to do with their hair. Twinkling hazel eyes peered out from her heavily wrinkled, but very kind face.

"Rosa! Darling granddaughter!" Theodora White, matriarch of the White clan exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. The short, chubby woman limped as fast as her aging legs would carry her towards Rosa. Rosa eagerly untangled herself from her youngest cousin and flew into her grandmother's arms.

"Gramma! Grandpa!" Team Gibbs's smiles grew. It was wonderful to see Rosa so happy. They were going to have to take pictures! The old man, Romulus White smiled, transforming from intimidating elder to doting grandfather in an instant. He lifted his arms in the same manner as his wife, lifting his heavy-looking cane, showing that even though he had bad hips, he was still strong.

"Don't I get a hug?" he demanded, showing of a denatured smile. She laughed and gave him a bear hug, which he returned.

Then everything went to hell.

Rosa's inquiry about Romulus's health died on her tongue as she caught sight of two more people standing at the top of the stairs on the deck. One Gibbs and Ziva recognized, but it was the blond, grey eyed woman standing beside Samuel White that held their attention. A sneer twisted the otherwise pleasant face, and a scathing, low, alto voice said, "So, the prodigal daughter has returned…"


End file.
